Scottish Executive

Anti-Social Behaviour

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will begin to implement its proposals to tackle anti-social behaviour and make communities safer.

Ms Margaret Curran: Implementation of the proposals on anti-social behaviour in the partnership agreement is being taken forward as one of the Executive’s top priorities. We will publish draft proposals for an anti-social behaviour bill for consultation before the summer recess.

Dentistry

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to increase the availability of dentists in rural areas and across the north-east.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive has a number of recruitment and retention measures in place aimed at improving access to dentists in rural areas and across the north east of Scotland. These include:

  grants under the Scottish Dental Access Initiative for dentists willing to set up or expand NHS practices in areas of poor access or high oral health need;

  the approval of salaried dentists, where an NHS board or Primary Care NHS Trust considers that the existing provision is insufficient to meet the demands of the local population and no independent general dental practitioner is available to fill the gap;

  a £1 million "golden hello" package, which includes payments to vocational trainees taking up vocational training in designated areas and payments to dentists who enter substantive general dental service practice within three months of completion of training;

  a £3 million package of recruitment and retention measures, which includes the introduction of commitment payments for assistants and the raising of the earnings ceiling for seniority payments, both of which reward dentists for undertaking more NHS treatment, and

  a rural practice allowance unique to Scotland is available to the remotest practices and was increased on 1 April 2003 to £3,000 per practice.

  In addition, the Scottish Executive has made a commitment through A Partnership for a Better a Scotland to expand the capability of dental training facilities in Scotland by increasing the student outreach capacity in the north-east.

Digital Hearing Aids

Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what extra resources it will make available for the purchase of digital hearing aids and for staff training, as referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland .

Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive is fully committed to the policies set out in A Partnership for a Better Scotland . We are currently considering the detailed implementation of those policies, including the associated funding strategy.

Health

Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met Fife NHS Board and what matters were discussed.

Malcolm Chisholm: Officials of the Scottish Executive Health Department meet all Scottish NHS boards regularly. The most recent meeting with Fife NHS Board was on Monday 19 May 2003.

  A variety of issues were discussed, including taking forward implementation of policies set out in "Partnership for Care", operational and financial performance and arrangements for the Accountability Review between the department and Fife NHS Board.

Maritime Safety

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty’s Government regarding the bid for the European Maritime Safety Agency to be located in Glasgow.

Nicol Stephen: This is a reserved matter but the Executive has liaised closely with the UK Government in supporting the bid to locate the European Maritime Safety Agency in Glasgow.

Museums

Mr John Home Robertson (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support a bid from the National Museums of Scotland for a Concorde aircraft to be added to the collection of the Museum of Flight at East Fortune.

Mr Frank McAveety: Scottish ministers have written to the Chief Executive of British Airways supporting the bid by the National Museums of Scotland for a Concorde aircraft.

NHS Services

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will extend the provision of mobile NHS chiropody facilities in rural areas where NHS chiropody services are no longer available.

Malcolm Chisholm: The provision of chiropody services in both urban and rural areas is the responsibility of local NHS systems, who will consider the needs of the community and service delivery when planning and developing local services.

Nutrition

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to improve the diet of schoolchildren.

Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive published Hungry for Success , the report from the Expert Panel on School Meals in February 2003. The Executive and local authorities are taking action across the range of recommendations.

Rail Network

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the economic impact will be of the delay in the opening of the rail station at Edinburgh Park.

Nicol Stephen: The information requested is not held centrally.

Renewable Energy

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to promote the jobs potential in the Highlands from Scotland's renewable energy sources.

Lewis Macdonald: On 25 March, we announced that we were adopting a renewable energy generation target of 40% by 2020. We also published Securing a Renewable Future: Scotland’s Renewable Energy , which contains a number of actions to promote jobs in the renewables sector. Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the local enterprise companies are actively working to encourage new manufacturing opportunities and to encourage existing companies in the area to diversify into renewables.

Scottish Agricultural College

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will meet representatives of the Scottish Agricultural College.

Ross Finnie: The Executive meets regularly with the college to discuss a range of matters relating to the research, education and advisory services it commissions from the college.

Scottish Water

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will next meet Scottish Water.

Ross Finnie: I have nothing in my diary at present, but my officials meet Scottish Water on a regular basis.

Skye Bridge

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will commence its review of existing bridge tolls and enter into negotiations to end tolling on the Skye Bridge.

Nicol Stephen: The matter is already under consideration within the Executive. We have made initial contact with Skye Bridge Limited with a view to starting discussions shortly.

Transport

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Executive will improve the transport infrastructure.

Mr Jack McConnell: Over the next 10 years we will be steadily increasing our investment in transport and transport infrastructure in order that the proposals outlined in the Transport Delivery Plan and our Partnership Agreement can be delivered.